Dance instructor Irvin Gonzalez shows his moves during a communal “rueda” at the conclusion of his day-long workshop on quebradita at Mt. San Jacinto College on Saturday, Sept. 8. Dance Department Chairwoman Julenda Freeman, second from right, joins students.
(Photo by Diane A. Rhodes, contributing photographer)

Mt. San Jacinto College students are learning the fast and flourishing moves of quebradita, a Mexican/Mexican-American social dance.

It’s part of a special course this fall called Dances of the World.

Julenda Freeman, dance department chairwoman at the San Jacinto campus, wanted dance students to learn it and other styles.

The class, developed by the school’s past dance department chair Gail Hoak, hadn’t been offered for more than a decade, Freeman said. Set up as one-day workshops, classes began Sept. 8 with associate faculty member Irvin Gonzalez teaching about quebradita. Future workshop instructors will include Kim Marcus (Native American) on Saturday, Sept. 22; Makeda Kumasi (West African) on Oct. 6; and Theresa Goldbach (flamenco) on Oct. 20.

“This course gives students the opportunity to learn about a variety of world dance forms in a concentrated amount of time,” Freeman said.

Dance instructor Irvin Gonzalez teaches students during an all-day workshop on quebradita, a Mexican social dance, at Mt. San Jacinto College on Saturday, Sept. 8.
(Photo by Diane A. Rhodes, contributing photographer)

Freeman sought teachers who were experts in their genres and who had a strong background as educators.

Gonzalez, a doctoral candidate in critical dance students at UC Riverside, said he was happy to teach an introductory course about the history behind quebradita and its characteristics.

“The dance form was cultivated in the 1990s among working- and middle-class communities on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border,” said Gonzalez, 28.

In Spanish, the name means “little break,” he said, and it mixes Mexican footwork from genres such as ballet folklorico and banda with Lindy hop and country line dancing influences in the U.S.

The dance became a way for Mexican-American youths to cultivate their own identity, he said.

“As a Mexican-American dancer, I can attest to the idea of developing an identity that mixes where your parents come from with the current environment that surrounds you,” said Gonzalez, a Riverside resident.

Student said they find the class enjoyable and informative.

“When I came to class today, my spirits were down, my heart was down, and I didn’t think I’d make it through the day but I had so much fun,” Christina Martin said.

Student Savanna Deborn, a 20-year-old dance major from San Jacinto, said she never smiled so much during a dance class.

Cameron Kelly, 19, and Ali Carter, 21 partnered up for part of the class.

“We found each other’s strengths,” said Kelly, a dance/theater major. “It was so interesting; I didn’t know I would feel so weightless dancing.”

Carter said she always loved dancing but had never done it in a traditional setting.

Karla Gonzalez, who is from Puerto Rico said she connected to quebradita and is taking dance classes as a form of physical therapy. The 38-year-old mother of three also is enrolled in four other dance classes at the college.

Instructor Marcus, a counselor and culture teacher at Noli Indian School at the Soboba Reservation, will highlight indigenous dances of the Cahuilla people. The tribal member of the Santa Rosa Band of Cahuilla Indians will share Cahuilla bird dancing and singing.

Kumasi is trained in various styles of dance and has been teaching West African dance for more than 15 years. One rhythm/dance she will teach is called Koukou, which celebrates the fishing harvest.

Goldbach began dancing at 4 and started dancing with professional Spanish dance companies at 14. Flamenco is one of the most difficult forms to master because many students focus too much on the complicated footwork, which is secondary to learning how to respond and dance with the music, she said.

“This course offers something for any student who would like to learn about dance and how dance can reflect culture,” said Freeman, who has taught at the college for more than 20 years.